Chapter 10
TEN
Grey was already waiting for him when Lachlan arrived at the diner along Harborview Street ten minutes after leaving the marina. Whalebone Cove’s main drag was the heart of the historic district where all the shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses were clustered within a few square blocks.
Anchor Management was a busy, local gem that had been around since before they were born and was still run by a local family.
They specialized in West Coast fare, but their breakfasts were legendary and served until three every day.
It was located right next to Cod Almighty, the best fish and chips shop in town with food every bit as awesome as its name.
He slid into the vinyl booth next to the large window overlooking a side street as raindrops gathered and ran down the glass. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Grey’s short black hair was mussed, his hands wrapped around a turquoise ceramic mug full of coffee. “Thanks for coming.”
“Course.” Grey looked like shit. Like someone had just run over his dog, if he’d had one. Lachlan’s concern hitched up another notch. “What’s up?”
His brother looked down into his mug. “Beth left.”
Lachlan barely masked his shock. Whoa. “When?”
“Right before I texted you.”
Oh. Ouch.
He waited a beat, but Grey didn’t say anything else.
It surprised him that his brother had brought him here to talk about this.
They were close but Grey didn’t talk about personal things often and never in a public place.
Maybe he’d just wanted to get out of the empty house and all the memories inside it.
Lachlan knew all too well what that was like. “What happened?”
“I dunno. The inevitable, I guess.”
Huh. So it hadn’t been a complete surprise, then. He’d wondered for a while how his brother really felt about the relationship. From the start it had been obvious to him that Grey had settled for her. Apparently Beth had known it too. “Sorry, man. You okay?”
Lachlan couldn’t get a true read on him. Grey kept his feelings to himself, was hard to read at the best of times because he was so quiet and stoic. Lachlan couldn’t tell whether his brother was actually gutted by this, just sad, or…he wasn’t sure what else.
Grey nodded. “I’ll be fine. And you don’t need to sit there and pretend you’re sorry she’s gone.”
“What? I liked Beth. She was…nice.” That was all though. Definitely not the right match for Grey in his opinion. Which he’d kept to himself this whole time. Or at least he’d thought he had. He didn’t keep secrets from his brother.
With one notable exception.
“Yeah. She is nice.” There were deep shadows under Grey’s pale blue eyes. He looked done in. Like he hadn’t slept in too long.
Lachlan didn’t think it was because of the situation with Beth. “When’s the last time you got some decent sleep?”
“Couple days. My crew was on scene at the slide near the highway until end of shift this morning. When I got home, Beth already had her bags packed. Must’ve been thinking about it for a while. Had everything packed up and a plan in place.”
“That’s rough.”
Grey nodded. “She said neither of us are happy. That we both deserved more.”
Good for Beth. His opinion of her had just gone up a few notches. “Was she wrong?” he said in a quiet voice. Grey had cared about her, sure, but Lachlan had never believed his brother was truly in love.
Grey exhaled. “No.” He took a sip of his coffee.
Okay, if Grey thought Beth was right, then Lachlan didn’t understand why he was so dejected. Seemed to him that Beth had done Grey a favor by ending things cleanly. Unless… “Did she cheat?”
“No.”
He didn’t ask if his brother had cheated on her because he already knew the answer. Grey wouldn’t cheat and had really strong opinions on the matter due to their family history. “You decided what you’re gonna do yet?”
Grey frowned at him. “Whaddya mean?”
“With the house and whatever. You think things’ll get messy?”
“No, the mortgage is in my name. I can afford all the bills on my own for at least a while. I’ve got time to decide whether to sell and downsize.”
“If you need a loan—”
“No way. I was thinking I’d just pick up some trips for you on my days off. Make a little extra that way for the time being.”
“Sure, if you want.”
“Yeah. I don’t want charity. Not even from you.”
“I get it. But it’s not charity, and the offer’s there if you need it.”
“All right. Thanks.” Grey sighed, leaned back against the padded booth. “I’ll see how things go. Guess it’s probably best if I sell the place and start fresh anyway. Maybe I’ll do a few upgrades and list it early next year so it’s ready when the market picks up in spring.”
“I think that might be a good idea.” Staying in a place that reminded him of Beth every time he walked in wouldn’t be good for him. “You’ve got time to think it over though.”
Grey nodded, pensive. “I appreciate the talk. I know it’s not the same as what you went through, but it helps knowing you get it. Having to sell and start over, I mean,” he clarified.
Lachlan didn’t answer, because he couldn’t. He’d gone completely still, a giant hole opening up like a trapdoor at the bottom of his stomach.
Yeah, he had been forced to sell and start over once upon a time too. And no, his situation hadn’t been remotely the same as Grey’s.
Not even fucking close.
“Shit,” Grey muttered, shaking his head at himself. “That came out all wrong. Sorry. I meant—”
“How about we just order some food? I’m starving.” Lachlan turned away to flag down the server. He ordered a stack of blueberry buttermilk pancakes with a side of crispy bacon. Grey ordered the famous crab cake benny with home fries.
They made an attempt at light conversation as they ate.
Talked about Lachlan’s business, his plans to hire more part time help over the late spring and summer so he didn’t have to work seven days a week.
They talked about the SAR team and the advanced first aid recertification course Grey was going to teach soon.
Anything but Beth—or that both of them were now single.
Lachlan’s attention shifted to the door when someone walked in.
Naya, Charlie’s widow. Lachlan hadn’t seen her since the funeral.
“Originally I had it planned over three nights, but I think I’ll change it to…” Grey stopped and glanced over his shoulder when Lachlan kept staring. Quickly stood as Naya approached them.
Hell. This was the last thing Grey needed right now.
“Morning,” Grey said to her.
She flashed them a smile that was a little strained, her long dark curls pulled back into a ponytail and frizzy from the rain. “Hi. How are you two?”
“Fine,” Grey answered for them both. “You?”
“I’m…doing the best I can,” she said with another tight smile. She looked as done in as Grey, dark shadows beneath her liquid brown eyes. Couldn’t be easy trying to pick up the pieces after Charlie’s death and raising his kids on her own.
“Haven’t seen you around lately,” Grey said.
“No. I flew back to see my parents in Michigan for a while. Just got back yesterday.” She glanced at Lachlan’s plate. “Well, I won’t keep you from your breakfast. I think I’ll get the pancakes too. They look good.”
“Do you want to join us?” Grey gestured to the booth seat he’d just vacated.
“That’s really sweet of you, but…thanks anyway. I’m just gonna eat and run.”
Grey smiled stiffly, and Lachlan winced inside. “Sure. Take care.”
“You too.”
Grey kept watching Naya as he slid back into the booth.
Someone would have to know him really well to see it, but the emotions he’d tried to bury were right there in his eyes. He was a man staring longingly at the one thing he wanted most in this world and could never have.
Grey caught him staring as he picked up his mug. “What?”
“Nothing.” He forked up another stacked bite of pancakes and stabbed a couple blueberries on the end of the tines. “Really tough time for her.”
“Yeah. Sucks.”
“Heard she’s thinking of moving too. Might put her house up for sale.”
Grey stilled, the mug halfway to his mouth. “You sure?” His gaze bounced over to where Naya was ordering at a little booth for two in the opposite corner. “Where’s she gonna go, did you hear?”
Oh, yeah, that was definitely more than casual interest on his brother’s part. Damn, Grey. Still? “No.”
“Off island?”
“Not sure.”
Grey went back to eating and made an attempt at continuing their earlier conversation, but his gaze kept straying to Naya every so often. Lachlan wondered if he was even aware of doing it. Or how deep his feelings for her still ran.
As they finished their breakfasts in silence, he thought about his own situation. He’d been single a long time, hadn’t been interested in anybody since he’d moved back to the island. Until Maddy had boarded his boat a few weeks ago and awakened something in him. Something he couldn’t ignore.
Something he wasn’t willing to give up on.
Based on everything he’d seen so far, he would need to go slow with her. She was cautious. Wary of him.
He’d never had to go slow before, but he would for Maddy’s sake. Because he could already tell she was worth whatever it took to make her his.